(2013). Adoption and acceptance of the “2013 Supplement to the 2006 Guidelines: Wetlands”

331 Pages·2013·3.61 MB·English

THIRTY-SEVENTH SESSION OF THE IPCC
Batumi, Georgia, 14 - 18 October 2013

IPCC-XXXVII/Doc. 8b, Rev.2
(16.X.2013)
Agenda Item: 4
ENGLISH ONLY

ADOPTION AND ACCEPTANCE OF THE “2013 SUPPLEMENT TO THE 2006 GUIDELINES:
WETLANDS”

Accepted Report

(Submitted by the Co-Chairs of the Task Force Bureau)

Report prepared by the Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories of the IPCC
and accepted by the Panel but not approved in detail

Note:

The final draft report of the Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas inventories (TFI) was accepted
but not approved in detail by the 37th Session of the IPCC on 15 October 2013 in Batumi, Georgia. It
consists of the full report prepared by the TFI.

The report has to be read in conjunction with the document entitled: “Adoption and Acceptance of
the 2013 Supplement to the 2006 Guidelines: Wetlands - Changes to the Underlying Report to
ensure consistency with the adopted Overview Chapter” (IPCC-XXXVII/Doc.27) to ensure
consistency with the adopted Overview Chapter (IPCC-XXXVII/Doc.8a, Rev.1) and presented to the
Panel at its 37th Session. This document lists the changes necessary to ensure consistency
between the full report and the Overview Chapter which was adopted section by section by the
Panel at the above mentioned session.

Before publication the Report will undergo final copy editing as well as any error correction as
necessary, consistent with the IPCC Protocol for addressing possible errors. Publication of the
report is foreseen in February 2014.

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Glossary

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GLOSSARY

Aerenchymous species
Plant species with a tissue consisting of thin-walled cells and large intercellular spaces that allows for plant
internal circulation of air, enhancing gas exchange between the root layer and the atmosphere. Aerenchymous
plants are widespread in wetlands.
Aquic
Condition pertaining to soil layers that are virtually free of dissolved oxygen and have a reducing environment
because of saturation with ground water or capillary water (adapted from Table 2.3, Chapter 2, Volume 4 of the
2006 IPCC Guidelines).
Aquaculture
The organised production of aquatic animals and plants (e.g. fish, crustaceans, and seaweeds) in marine or
freshwater environments. The most important aquacultural practices in coastal wetlands are fish farming and
shrimp ponds.
Autotrophic respiration
Release of carbon dioxide by living plants from internal metabolism (growth and maintenance) .
Blanket bog
A bog type (see bog) that covers the underlying undulating landscape like a blanket.
Bog
Peatland only fed by precipitation and consequently generally nutrient-poor and acid (see also fen).
Brackish/saline water
The salinity of the water can be variable, but normally contains more than 0.5 or more parts per thousand (ppt) of
dissolved salts,.
Brackish/saline wetland
A wetland inundated or saturated by brackish/saline water for all or part of the year.
CO or CH or N O Flux
2 4 2
Rate of flow of dissolved or gaseous CO or CH or N O across a given surface or area and over a certain
2 4 2
amount of time.
Chamber
Gas-tight enclosure used for measuring greenhouse gas fluxes.
Coastal wetland
Wetland at or near the coast that is influenced by brackish/saline water and/or astronomical tides.
Constructed wetland for wastewater treatment
Wetland designed and constructed to use natural processes to help treat wastewater.
Created wetland
Previously dry land converted to a wetland by raising the water table in inland wetlands or removing
obstructions to hydrologic flow and/or raising or lowering the soil elevation to appropriate tidal elevation in
coastal wetlands.
Dam
A barrier constructed to obstruct the flow of water.
Denitrification
Reduction of nitrate or nitrite to molecular nitrogen.
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon (DIC)
Wetlands Supplement G.1
Glossary

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Sum of all inorganic carbon species in solution (e.g. carbonate, bicarbonate, carbonic acid, carbon dioxide).
Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC)
Organic carbon remaining in solution after filtering the sample, typically using a 0.45 micrometer filter.
Ditch
A long, narrow excavation made in the ground by digging, as for draining or irrigating land.
Drainage/drained
Artificial lowering of the soil water table. In this Supplement ‘drainage’ is used to describe the act of changing a
wet soil into a dry soil. A drained soil is a soil that formerly has been a wet soil but as a result of human
intervention is tending to become a a dry soil, to which the 2006 Guidelines would apply
Drainage class
A collection of water table depths sharing a common characteristic. E.g. the class ‘shallow-drained’ is
characterized by having a mean annual water table depth of less than 30 cm below the surface, whereas the class
‘deep-drained’ has a mean annual water table depth of 30 cm and deeper below the surface (Chapter 2). The
mean annual water table is the water table averaged over a period of several years.
Eddy covariance
Micrometeorological method that uses differences in concentration associated with turbulence in the air to
quantify net vertical gas exchange.
Eutrophic
Nutrient-rich (see also oligotrophic).
Extraction
In this supplement, to remove soil (and associated biomass and dead organic matter).
Fen
Peatland that in addition to precipitation water also receives water that has been in contact with mineral soil or
bedrock (see also bog).
Fish cages or pens
Types of enclosures at the water surface or fixed to the seabed that maintain a free exchange of water and fine
particles, used to cultivate aquatic organisms for human consumption
Fish pond
In this supplement a general term covering ponds constructed in brackish or saline water, designed to retain and
culture fish for commercial production (aquaculture).
Flooded Land
In this Wetlands Supplement Flooded Land is defined as ’water bodies where human activities have caused
changes in the amount of surface area covered by water, typically through water level regulation. Examples of
Flooded Land include reservoirs for the production of hydroelectricity, irrigation, and navigation. Regulated
lakes and rivers that do not have substantial changes in water area in comparison with the pre-flooded
ecosystem are not considered as Flooded Lands. Some rice paddies are cultivated through flooding of land, but
because of the unique characteristics of rice cultivation, rice paddies are addressed in Chapter 5 (Cropland) of
the Guidelines’ (Chapter 7.3, Volume 4 of the 2006 IPCC Guidelines).
Flooding
Overflowing of water on land normally dry.
Floodplain
Land adjacent to a stream or river that experiences flooding during periods of high discharge.
Freshwater
Water that contains < 0.5 parts per thousand (ppt) of various dissolved salts.
G.2 Wetlands Supplement
Glossary

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Freshwater wetland
A wetland inundated or saturated by freshwater for all or part of the year.
Heterotrophic respiration
The total of physical and chemical processes in an organism by which oxygen is conveyed to tissues and cells,
and the oxidation products CO and water, are given off.
2
Horizontal subsurface flow (HSSF)
A type of constructed wetland with horizontal subsurface flow.
Hydroperiod
Inundation frequency, differentiated into permanent and intermittent.
Immobilization
With respect to nitrogen, the process by which inorganic N, as ammonium (NH +) and nitrate (NO -), are
4 3
assimilated by microorganisms.
Impoundment
Body of water formed by containment.
Inundated/inundation
Covered by water; see also Flooded Land.
Mangrove
Coastal wetland with trees, that are able to live in areas that are tidally flooded by brackish/saline water.
Marsh
A wetland, typically treeless, periodically inundated and characterized by grasses, sedges, cattails, and rushes.
Methanogen
Microorganism that produces methane during the decomposition of organic matter.
Methanotroph
Microorganism that utilizes methane for metabolism.
Mineral soil
Every soil that does not meet the definition of organic soil (see Annex 3A.5, Chapter 3, Volume 4 of the 2006
IPCC Guidelines).
Mineralization
The process of converting organic compounds to inorganic compounds.
Minerotrophic
(Of peatland): supplied with nutrients from other sources (groundwater, flood
water) than the atmosphere (see also ombrotrophic). Nitrification
The microbial oxidation of NH to NO .
x 3
Ombrotrophic
Only supplied with nutrients by the atmosphere (see also minerotrophic) and consequently often acidic and low
in nutrients.
Oligotrophic
Poor to extremely poor in nutrients (see also eutrophic).
Organic soil
In line with the 2006 IPCC Guidelines (Annex 3A.5, Chapter 3, Volume 4), soil that satisfies the requirements 1
and 2, or 1 and 3 below:
Wetlands Supplement G.3
Glossary

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1) Thickness of organic horizon greater than or equal to 10 cm. A horizon of less than 20 cm must have 12
percent or more organic carbon when mixed to a depth of 20 cm;
2) Soils that are never saturated with water for more than a few days must contain more than 20 percent
organic carbon by weight (i.e., about 35 percent organic matter); and
3) Soils are subject to water saturation episodes and have either:
a) At least 12 percent organic carbon by weight (i.e., about 20 percent organic matter) if the soil has no
clay; or
b) At least 18 percent organic carbon by weight (i.e., about 30 percent organic matter) if the soil has 60%
or more clay; or
c) An intermediate proportional amount of organic carbon for intermediate amounts of clay.
Except for the 10 cm criterion mentioned under 1) the 2006 IPCC Guidelines do not define a minimum thickness
for the organic horizon to allow for country-specific definitions of organic soil.
Paludiculture
Agriculture and forestry on wet (undrained, rewetted) organic soil.
Particulate Organic Carbon (POC)
Organic carbon that is larger than 0.45 micrometer in size (see also Dissolved Organic Carbon).
Peat1
Soft, porous or compressed, sedimentary deposit of plant origin with high water content in the natural state (up
to about 90 percent). Countries may define peat according to their national circumstances.
Peat compaction
Volume reduction of peat in the aerated zone above the water table, resulting in increased bulk density.
Peat consolidation
Volume reduction of peat in the saturated zone below the water table owing to increased loading (downward
pressure) from the drained top peat (by loss of buoyancy) on the peat below. See also peat compaction.
Peat decomposition
The process by which peat is broken down into simpler forms of matter. In
mineralisation, decomposition proceeds to the mineral components, including
CO and H O.Peat subsidence
2 2
The loss in peat elevation resulting from peat compaction, peat comsolidation and peat oxidation.
Prairie
An extensive area of flat or rolling, predominantly treeless grassland; often considered to be part of the
temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome.
Refractory carbon
Soil carbon that does not get broken down and released as dissolved or gaseous CO (predominantly by
2
microorganisms) within the time scale of the inventory.
Rehabilitation
The re-establishment, on formerly drained sites, of some but not necessarily all the hydrological, biogeochemical
and ecological processes and functions that characterized pre-drainage conditions.
Restoration
The process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed. In case of
drained former wetlands, restoration always has to include ‘rewetting’.

1 Consistent with the definition of peat found in the Energy sector of the 2006 IPCC Guidelines (Volume 2,
Chapter 1, Table 1.1)
G.4 Wetlands Supplement
Glossary

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Rewetted soil
A soil that formerly has been drained but as a result of human intervention has once more become a wet soil.
Rewetting
The deliberate action of changing a drained soil into a wet soil, e.g. by blocking drainage ditches, disabling
pumping facilities or breaching obstructions.
Riparian
Of, inhabiting, or situated on the bank of a river. Saline inland wetland
Wetland that accumulates salts in its soil typically as a result of semi-arid to arid conditions.
Salt production
The production of salt by evaporating brackish or saline tidal water, that commonly occurs in, or displaces,
coastal wetlands.
Seagrass meadow
Coastal wetland vegetated by seagrass species (rooted, flowering plants), permanently or tidally covered by
brackish/saline water.
Sediment
Deposit of inorganic or organic material that has been carried and deposited by wind, water, or ice.
Semi-natural treatment wetland
Natural wetland that has been modified for wastewater treatment, e.g. by increasing the volume reserved (i.e.
dams) and constructing channels for targeting the influent and effluent.
Surface flow (SF)
Type of constructed wetland with surface flow.
Swamp
A term used to describe wetlands dominated by trees or woody species.
Tidal freshwater wetland
Wetland inundated or saturated for all or part of the year by tidal freshwater. The upper boundary is recognized
as the landward extent of tidal inundation.
Tidal marsh
Marsh inundated or saturated for all or part of the year by tidal freshwater or brackish/saline water. The upper
boundary is recognized as the landward extent of tidal inundation.
Total organic carbon (TOC)
All carbon in organic matter.
Vertical subsurface flow (VSSF)
Type of constructed wetland with vertical subsurface flow.
Wastewater treatment plant
A facility designed to receive wastewater and to remove materials that damage water quality and threaten public
health and safety when discharged into receiving streams or bodies of water.
Waterborne carbon
DIC, DOC or POC contained in or conveyed by water.
Wetland
In this supplement, the term ‘wetland’ is used to refer to land with a wet soil. For the IPCC land use category
Wetlands see below.
Wetlands
Wetlands Supplement G.5
Glossary

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This guidance uses the term ‘Wetlands’ (with capital ‘W’ and plural) when referring to the IPCC land-use
category Wetlands. The terms ‘wetland’ or ‘wetlands’ (except in titles with lowercase ‘w’ and singular or plural)
are used to refer to land with wet soil (see above)
Wetland mineral soil
A mineral soil that is classified as an ‘aquic soil’ or a ‘gleysol’ according to the default mineral soil classification
in Annex 3A.5, Figures 3A.5.3 and 3A.5.4, Chapter 3, Volume 4 of the 2006 IPCC Guidelines.
Wet soil
A soil that is inundated or saturated by water for all or part of the year to the extent that biota, adapted to
anaerobic conditions, particularly soil microbes and rooted plants, control the quality and quantity of the net
annual greenhouse gas emissions and removals.

G.6 Wetlands Supplement
Chapter 1: Introduction

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C H A P T E R 1
INTRODUCTION

Coordinating Lead Authors
Tom Wirth (USA) and Chengyi Zhang (China)

Lead Authors
Gusti Zakaria Anshari (Indonesia), Kenneth Byrne (Ireland), Elke Hodson (Switzerland/USA), Hans Joosten
(EC/WI/FAO), J. Boone Kauffman (IUCN/UNESCO), Leif Klemedtsson (Sweden), Tuija Elina Lapvetelainen†
(Finland), Christoph Mueller (Germany), Phillip O'Brien (Ireland) and Mitsuru Osaki (Japan)

Contributing Authors
Tonya Del Sontro (Switzerland), Mark Flugge (USA), Stephen Ogle (USA), Riitta Pipatti (Finland), Rachel
Steele (USA), Victoria Thompson (USA) and Kiyoto Tanabe (TFI-TSU)

Review Editors
Fatih Evrendilek (Turkey) and Steen Gyldenkærne (Denmark)

† Ms. Tuija Elina Lapvetelainen, a close colleague, passed away in July 2013. She greatly contributed to the development of
Chapter 1.

Wetlands Supplement 1.1
Chapter 1: Introduction

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Contents
1.1  Background ............................................................................................................................................ 3 
1.2  Guidance for Using this Supplement ...................................................................................................... 3 
1.3  Application of the Managed Land Proxy to Wetlands ........................................................................... 8 
1.4  Coherence and compatibility with 2006 IPCC Guidelines ................................................................... 10 
1.4.1  Guidance on activities in the 2006 IPCC Guidelines that are also covered in the Wetlands
Supplement ................................................................................................................................................... 10 
1.4.2  Supplementary guidance in this report .......................................................................................... 11 
1.5  Relevant Databases for Wetlands and Organic Soils ........................................................................... 15 
Figures
Figure 1.1  Decision tree for finding the appropriate guidance chapter within the Wetlands Supplement
or the 2006 IPCC Guidelines .................................................................................................................. 4 
Figure 1.2  Soil based subcategories that are being addressed in the Wetlands Supplement ..................... 5 
Figure 1.3  Typical management practices on organic and wet soils ......................................................... 9 
Tables
Table 1.1 Look-up table for Wetlands Supplement by land-use categories, soil type and condition and inland
or coastal location ................................................................................................................................. 14 
Table 1.2 Global and regional on-line resources that provide metadata sets for developing an inventory of
greenhouse gas emissions and removals from wetlands and organic soils ............................................ 15 

1.2 Wetlands Supplement
Chapter 1: Introduction

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1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND
The 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (2006 IPCC Guidelines) acknowledged
that the methodological guidance for the land-use category Wetlands in Volume 4 (Agriculture, Forestry and
Other Land Use—AFOLU), Chapter 7 (Wetlands) is incomplete and limited to estimating emissions of carbon
dioxide (CO ) and nitrous oxide (N O) from peatlands cleared and drained for production of peat for energy,
2 2
horticultural and other uses (Section 7.2, Chapter 7 in Volume 4 of the 2006 IPCC Guidelines), and CO
2
emissions from land converted to flooded land such as reservoirs for production of hydroelectricity, irrigation
and navigation (Section 7.2, Chapter 7 in Volume 4 of the 2006 IPCC Guidelines). In October 2010, an IPCC
expert meeting on harvested wood products, wetlands, and N O emissions from soils concluded that there is
2
sufficient new scientific information available to provide additional methodological guidance and fill gaps in the
existing 2006 IPCC Guidelines for the rewetting and restoration of peatlands; emissions from fires, ditches, and
waterborne carbon; and constructed wetlands for waste water disposal (IPCC, 2011). In December 2010, the
Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) of the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) invited the IPCC to undertake further methodological work on
wetlands, focusing on the rewetting and restoration of peatland, with the objective of filling in the gaps in the
2006 IPCC Guidelines in these areas.
In response to the invitation of SBSTA, this 2013 Supplement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National
Greenhouse Gas Inventories: Wetlands - Methodological Guidance on Lands with Wet and Drained Soils, and
Constructed Wetlands for Wastewater Treatment - (Wetlands Supplement) provides new and supplementary
guidance on estimating and reporting greenhouse gas emissions and removals from lands with organic soils and
with wet mineral soils in Wetlands and other land-use categories with these soil types that are subject to human
activities (‘managed’). The Wetlands Supplement is organized into the following chapters:
 Chapter 2: Drained Inland Organic Soils
 Chapter 3: Rewetted Organic Soils
 Chapter 4: Coastal Wetlands
 Chapter 5: Inland Wetland Mineral Soils
 Chapter 6: Constructed Wetlands for Wastewater Treatment
 Chapter 7: Cross-Cutting Issues and Reporting
1.2 GUIDANCE FOR USING THIS SUPPLEMENT
This introductory chapter provides guidance on how to use this Wetlands Supplement in conjunction with the
existing 2006 IPCC Guidelines when preparing a greenhouse gas inventory that includes lands with organic , wet
and drained mineral soils across all IPCC land-use categories.
The decision tree (Figure 1.1) can be used by inventory compilers as a guide to the relevant chapters within this
Wetlands Supplement and/or the 2006 IPCC Guidelines. The numbers located near the “start” box and the
diamonds in the decision tree refer to the guidance notes below. The notes explain and illustrate the terms used
in the decision tree and in this document (see also the glossary).
The terms are for the purpose of this document and their definitions are not intended to pre-empt other
definitions of these terms in other contexts. For example: Except for in the name of this supplement, this
guidance uses the term ‘Wetlands’ (with capital ‘W’ and always plural) solely when referring to the IPCC land-
use category Wetlands. The terms ‘wetland’ or ‘wetlands’ (with lowercase ‘w’ and singular or plural) are used to
refer to land with wet soil as defined in note 4 below. Other articulations of the ‘wetland’ concept are possible
e.g. that used by the Ramsar Convention (www.ramsar.org/cda/en/ramsar-documents-texts-convention-
on/main/ramsar/1-31-38%5E20671_4000_0__) but this does not affect the applicability of the methodological
guidance.
Wetlands Supplement 1.3